Method and apparatus for applying adhesive on an elastic strand in a personal disposable hygiene product

ABSTRACT

A method of dispensing adhesive onto a stretched elastic strand includes applying a first volume of adhesive onto a first portion of the elastic strand, applying a second volume of adhesive onto a second portion of the elastic strand, and applying a third volume of adhesive onto a third portion of the elastic strand. The second volume is less than the first and third volumes. When the elastic strand is adhered to a substrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product, the first and third portions of the elastic strand define opposing ends of the elastic strand, which are adhered with a larger amount of adhesive to resist creep at the opposing ends. The reduction of adhesive in the second or central portion between the opposing ends significantly reduces the adhesive add on in the personal disposable hygiene product.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus fordispensing adhesive and more particularly, to a method and apparatus fordispensing adhesive onto at least one elastic strand during constructionof a personal disposable hygiene product.

BACKGROUND

Liquid adhesive, such as hot melt adhesive, is applied onto variouscomponents during manufacture of disposable personal hygiene productssuch as diapers, adult incontinence products, and feminine hygieneproducts. Dispensing methods and systems have been developed forapplying hot melt adhesive onto various components of the disposablepersonal hygiene product. In one example, these dispensing systems applya hot melt adhesive filament to one or more stretched elastic strands,which are then adhered to a nonwoven substrate to form an elasticizedportion of the disposable personal hygiene product. Downstream of thedispensing system, the various components (e.g., flat substrate layersand elastic strands) pass through a pressure nip to secure thecomponents together.

Many disposable personal hygiene products include elasticized leggathers adjacent to leg openings to secure the personal hygiene productagainst the user's legs and to contain any waste material captured bythe personal disposable hygiene product. In these applications, a highlevel of creep resistance is desirable. “Creep” of an elastic strand isdefined as the movement of either end of the elastic strand from aninitial location where the end is adhered to a substrate. If an elasticstrand undergoes any significant amount of creep after assembly, atleast one end of the elastic strand will effectively de-bond from thesubstrate and reduce the ability of the elasticized portion to remainfirmly engaged with the skin surface. To avoid this undesirable creep, ahigh quality bond must be formed by the adhesive applied to the elasticstrand so that the elastic strand does not de-bond from the substrate.

One well understood method of improving the quality of an adhesive bondand thereby reducing creep is by applying additional adhesive on thesubstrate or the elastic strand(s). However, applying too much adhesiveto the elastic strand locks the elastic strand along its length andthereby reduces the effectiveness of the elastic material to apply forceto the substrate. In other words, the elastic strand loses the abilityto apply sufficient retraction force to the substrate. Moreover,increasing the amount of adhesive used in disposable personal hygieneproduct manufacturing significantly increases cost and also reduces the“hand” or softness of the resulting product. Applying too much adhesivematerial may also lead to “burn through,” which occurs when the adhesivematerial burns or melts through the adhered substrate. Consequently, theamount of adhesive used to adhere elastic strands to substrates shouldbe minimized while also maintaining a high level of creep resistance, ahigh retraction force, and minimized burn through and stiffness.

However, conventional dispensing methods and systems for coating elasticstrands in personal disposable hygiene products utilize a constantvolume or coating of adhesive along the entire length of the elasticstrand(s). As described above, the coating must be sufficient to preventcreep at the opposing ends of the elastic strand(s), and thus, theconstant coating adds significant add on weight to the final personaldisposable hygiene product. As described above, any excess adhesive addon is undesirable for multiple reasons, including reduced forceretraction capability and softness and increased manufacturing cost.

There is a need, therefore, for an adhesive dispensing method andapparatus that addresses one or more of these difficulties and reducesthe amount of adhesive used to form elasticized portions of personaldisposable hygiene products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of the invention, a method of dispensingadhesive onto at least one stretched elastic strand to be adhered to asubstrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product includes movingthe stretched elastic strand along a machine direction and applying afirst volume of adhesive onto a first portion of the elastic strand. Themethod also includes applying a second volume of adhesive onto a secondportion of the elastic strand located downstream from the first portionrelative to the machine direction, and applying a third volume ofadhesive onto a third portion of the elastic strand located downstreamfrom the second portion relative to the machine direction. The secondvolume is less than the first volume and less than the third volume.When the elastic strand is adhered to the substrate, the first and thirdportions define opposing ends of the elastic strand and the secondportion defines a central portion of the elastic strand extendingbetween the opposing ends.

In one aspect, the first and third portions of the elastic strandcollectively define a first length and the second portion of the elasticstrand defines a second length longer than the first length. Thus, thesecond volume of adhesive is applied over a majority of the elasticstrand. In another aspect, applying the first, second, and third volumesof adhesive includes dispensing a first quantity of adhesive onto thefirst and third portions of the elastic strand, and dispensing a secondquantity of adhesive onto the first, second, and third portions of theelastic strand. The second quantity defines the second volume ofadhesive on the second portion of the elastic strand. The first andsecond quantities collectively define the first volume of adhesive onthe first portion of the elastic strand and the third volume of adhesiveon the third portion of the elastic strand. Alternatively, applying thefirst, second, and third volumes of adhesive includes dispensing a firstquantity of adhesive onto the first and third portions of the elasticstrand and dispensing a second quantity of adhesive onto the secondportion of the elastic strand. In this alternative, the first quantityof adhesive defines the first volume of adhesive on the first portion ofthe elastic strand and the third volume of adhesive on the third portionof the elastic strand, while the second quantity of adhesive defines thesecond volume on the second portion of the elastic strand.

The first and second quantities of adhesive may be dispensedsimultaneously onto the first portion and then onto the third portion ofthe elastic strand, or one of the first and second quantities may bedispensed onto the elastic strand before the other quantity. In oneexample, the first and second quantities are dispensed by respectivefirst and second dispensing nozzles, which are fed adhesive at first andsecond predetermined or adjustable flow rates.

In another aspect, the first, second, and third volumes of adhesive aredispensed by a single dispensing nozzle including first and secondvalves that control flow from corresponding first and second adhesivesupplies. To this end, the first and second valves are opened to applythe first volume of adhesive to the first portion of the elastic strand.Closing the second valve while leaving the first valve open causes thesecond volume of adhesive to be applied to the second portion of theelastic strand. Opening the first and second valves causes the thirdvolume of adhesive to be applied to the third portion of the elasticstrand. In some embodiments with a single dispensing nozzle, adhesive ispumped at an adjustable first flow rate to the first valve and adhesiveis pumped at an adjustable second flow rate to the second valve.

In another embodiment of the invention, a method of dispensing adhesiveonto a plurality of stretched elastic strands to be adhered to asubstrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product includes movingeach of the stretched elastic strands along a machine direction. Themethod further includes applying a first volume of adhesive onto a firstportion of each of the elastic strands, applying a second volume ofadhesive onto a second portion of each of the elastic strands locateddownstream from the first portion, and applying a third volume ofadhesive onto a third portion of each of the elastic strands locateddownstream from the second portion. The second volume is less than thefirst volume and less than the third volume. When the elastic strand isadhered to the substrate, the first and third portions define opposingends of the elastic strand and the second portion defines a centralportion of the elastic strand extending between the opposing ends.Applying the first, second, and third volumes of adhesive may includedispensing at least one quantity of adhesive individually onto each ofthe plurality of elastic strands, or dispensing at least one quantity ofadhesive collectively onto all of the plurality of elastic strands.

In another embodiment, a personal disposable hygiene product includes anonwoven substrate with first and second longitudinal sides. The hygieneproduct also includes first and second stretched elastic strands adheredto the nonwoven substrate respectively along the first and secondlongitudinal sides. Each of the elastic strands includes a first portiondefining an end of the elastic strand, a second portion defining acentral portion of the elastic strand, and a third portion defininganother end of the elastic strand. The first portions are coated with afirst volume of adhesive, the second portions are coated with a secondvolume of adhesive, and the third portions are coated with a thirdvolume of adhesive. The second volume of adhesive is less than each ofthe first and third volumes of adhesive.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, a dispensing apparatusapplies adhesive to at least one stretched elastic strand includingfirst, second, and third portions along a length of the elastic strandthat are to be adhered to a substrate to form a personal disposablehygiene product. The apparatus includes a first dispensing nozzle fordispensing a first volume of adhesive onto the stretched elastic strandat the first portion and for dispensing a third volume of adhesive ontothe stretched elastic strand at the third portion. The apparatus alsoincludes a second dispensing nozzle for dispensing a second volume ofadhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at a second portion extendingbetween the first and third portions. The second volume of adhesive isless than each of the first and third volumes of adhesive.

In one aspect, the first dispensing nozzle includes a strand guide,while the second dispensing nozzle does not include a strand guide. Inone aspect, the dispensing nozzles may include the same type ofdispensing nozzle or different types of dispensing nozzles. Thedispensing apparatus also includes a first adhesive supply for pumpingadhesive to the first dispensing nozzle, a second adhesive supply forpumping adhesive to the second dispensing nozzle, and a control forselectively actuating the first and second adhesive supplies.

In another embodiment, a dispensing apparatus applies adhesive to atleast one stretched elastic strand including first, second, and thirdportions along a length of the elastic strand that are to be adhered toa substrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product. The apparatusincludes a first dispensing nozzle for dispensing a first quantity ofadhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at the first and thirdportions. The apparatus also includes a second dispensing nozzle fordispensing a second quantity of adhesive onto the stretched elasticstrand at the first, second, and third portions. The first and secondquantities of adhesive collectively define a first volume of adhesive onthe first portion of the elastic strand and a third volume of adhesiveon the third portion of the elastic strand. The second quantity ofadhesive defines a second volume of adhesive on the second portion ofthe elastic strand that is less than each of the first and third volumesof adhesive.

In another embodiment of the invention, a dispensing apparatus appliesadhesive to at least one stretched elastic strand that is to be adheredto a substrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product. Theapparatus includes a single dispensing nozzle for dispensing adhesiveonto the stretched elastic strand at first, second, and third portionslocated in sequence along the length of the elastic strand. Thedispensing apparatus also includes a first valve adapted to control flowfrom a first adhesive supply through the dispensing nozzle and a secondvalve adapted to control flow from a second adhesive supply through thedispensing nozzle. The first and second valves are opened to apply afirst volume of adhesive on the first portion or to apply a third volumeof adhesive on the third portion. The first valve is opened while thesecond valve is closed to apply a second volume of adhesive on thesecond portion that is less than the first or third volumes of adhesive.

Various additional features and advantages of the invention will becomemore apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of thefollowing detailed description of the illustrative embodiments taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with a general description of the invention given above, andthe detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve toexplain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a personal disposablehygiene product according to one embodiment of the current invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a dispensing apparatus for applyingadhesive to a plurality of stretched elastic strands according to oneembodiment of the current invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the dispensing apparatus of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus for applying adhesive to elastic strands.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus for applying adhesive to elastic strands.

FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of the dispensing apparatus of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of yet another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus for applying adhesive to elastic strands.

FIG. 8 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus for applying adhesive to elastic strands.

FIG. 9 is a schematic top view of yet another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus for applying adhesive to elastic strands.

FIG. 10 is a schematic top view of yet another embodiment of adispensing apparatus for applying adhesive to elastic strands.

FIG. 11 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus for applying adhesive to elastic strands, the dispensingapparatus including two nozzles in parallel.

FIG. 12A is a schematic front view of the dispensing apparatus of FIG.11 during a dispensing operation.

FIG. 12B is a schematic side view of another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus similar to the dispensing apparatus of FIGS. 11 and 12A.

FIG. 13 is a schematic top view of yet another embodiment of adispensing apparatus for applying adhesive to elastic strands.

FIG. 14 is a schematic front view of the dispensing apparatus of FIG.13, showing a first set of valves in phantom.

FIG. 15 is a schematic front view of the dispensing apparatus of FIG.13, showing a second set of valves in phantom.

FIG. 16 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus for applying adhesive to elastic strands.

FIG. 17 is a schematic top view of yet another embodiment of adispensing apparatus for applying adhesive to elastic strands.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a disposable personal hygieneproduct 10 manufactured using an exemplary method and apparatus of theinvention. The disposable personal hygiene product 10 is a disposablediaper 10 including first and second ends 12, 14 configured to wraparound the waist of the user and a central portion 16 configured toextend between the legs of the user. The diaper 10 includes a flatnonwoven substrate 18, leg gathers 20 formed along each longitudinalside 22, 24 of the diaper 10 between the first and second ends 12, 14,and a second flat substrate 26 secured to the nonwoven substrate 18 toenclose the leg gathers 20. The second flat substrate 26 is anothernonwoven substrate in the illustrated embodiment. The leg gathers 20 areformed by one or more elastic strands 28 that are secured to thenonwoven substrate 18 in a stretched condition so as to provide thediaper 10 with elasticity around the legs of the user. The nonwovensubstrate 18, leg gathers 20, and second substrate 26 are secured toeach other with hot melt adhesive 30.

More particularly, each of the elastic strands 28 is advantageouslyadhered to the nonwoven substrate 18 by a varying amount of hot meltadhesive 30 applied along the length of the elastic strand 28. Asdescribed in further detail below, this varying amount of adhesive 30may be applied by first and second dispensing nozzles in series, whereinthe first dispensing nozzle may include a strand guide in someembodiments while the second dispensing nozzle cannot include a strandguide. To this end, each elastic strand 28 includes a first portion 32adjacent the first end 12, a second portion 34 extending from the firstportion 32 and adjacent the central portion 16, and a third portion 36located adjacent to the second portion 34 and the second end 14. To thisend, the first and third portions 32, 36 define opposing ends of theelastic strand 28 when adhered to the nonwoven substrate 18, while thesecond portion 34 defines a central portion of the elastic strand 28during adherence. The first portion 32 is coated with a first volume ofadhesive 30 a, the second portion 34 is coated with a second volume ofadhesive 30 b, and the third portion 36 is coated with a third volume ofadhesive 30 c. The second volume of adhesive 30 b is less than each ofthe first and third volumes of adhesive 30 a, 30 c. As well understood,the elastic strands 28 also include small free ends 38 beyond the firstand second end portions 32, 34 that are not coated with adhesive 30 andthus retract or curl up when the remainder of the elastic strands 28 isadhered to the substrate 18. In the preceding and following description,the term “volume” is used as shorthand to describe an average volume ofadhesive per unit length over the corresponding strand portion. Thus,the average volume of adhesive per unit length applied to the first andthird portions 32, 36 of the elastic strand 28 is higher than theaverage volume of adhesive per unit length applied to the second portion34.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the higher first and second volumesof adhesive 30 a, 30 c along the first and third portions 32, 36 areschematically shown as a thicker spiral filament while a thinner spiralfilament is shown at the second portion 34 to indicate the lessenedsecond volume of adhesive 30 b. It will be appreciated that the actualpattern applied to the elastic strands 28 may vary in other embodiments,such as by being applied as a plurality of discrete masses of adhesivethat produce discrete bond points when adhering the elastic strands 28to the nonwoven substrate 18. It will also be understood that while thevolume per unit length is described as roughly constant over the entirelength of a corresponding strand portion 32, 34, 36 in the exemplaryembodiments below, the volume per unit length may vary over the lengthof one or more of the strand portions 32, 34, 36 without departing fromthe scope of the invention (i.e., as long as the “volume” or averagevolume per unit length remains lesser for the second portion 34 than thefirst and third portions 32, 36). In addition, the adhesive applicationpatterns shown in FIG. 1 and the following figures on the elasticstrands 28 are schematic artist's renderings of these patterns, as itwill be understood that these patterns may vary in appearancesignificantly in a practical setting.

Also as shown in FIG. 1, the first portion 32 of the elastic strand 28defines a first length L1, the second portion 34 defines a second lengthL2, and the third portion 36 defines a third length L3. The secondlength L2 is larger than the first and third lengths L1, L3 combined sothat the second volume of adhesive 30 b is applied over a majority ofthe total length of the elastic strand 28. Thus, the first and thirdvolumes of adhesive 30 a, 30 c, each of which is high enough to producea high quality bond with desirable creep resistance, are only appliedonto the first and third portions 32, 36 of the elastic strand 28 wheresuch a level of creep resistance is necessary. This higher averagevolume of adhesive per unit length is not used in the second portion 34of the elastic strand 28 where creep resistance is less of a concern.Considering that this second portion 34 includes a majority of theelastic strand 28, the total amount of adhesive 30 used to adhere theelastic strand 28 to the substrate 18 is significantly reduced comparedto a constant coating over the entire length of the elastic strand 28.Thus, the diaper 10 of this embodiment advantageously minimizes theamount of adhesive add on necessary to produce a high quality bond orconstruction of the various components of the diaper 10.

Turning to FIGS. 2 and 3, one embodiment of a dispensing apparatus 40 isshown for producing the disposable personal hygiene product 10 describedabove. The dispensing apparatus 40 includes a first dispensing nozzle 42and a second dispensing nozzle 44 arranged in series along a machinedirection indicated by arrow 46. The plurality of elastic strands 28moves along the machine direction 46 past the first dispensing nozzle 42and then past the second dispensing nozzle 44. The first and seconddispensing nozzles 42, 44 operate to dispense hot melt adhesive 30 ontothe elastic strands 28 so as to coat the elastic strands 28 with thefirst, second, and third volumes of adhesive 30 a, 30 b, 30 c asdescribed above. As described in further detail below, the elasticstrands 28 run continuously through the dispensing apparatus 40 and arecut into separate elastic strands 28 downstream from the dispensingapparatus 40. To enable this cutting separation, the adjacent free ends38 of two elastic strands 28 in series are not coated with any adhesivematerial. Consequently, each of the first and second dispensing nozzles42, 44 cycles on and off repeatedly during operation of the dispensingapparatus 40.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first dispensing nozzle 42 isincorporated into a first dispensing module 48 and the second dispensingnozzle 44 is incorporated into a second dispensing module 50 separatefrom the first dispensing module 48. In this embodiment, the firstdispensing module 48 includes a contact nozzle and the second dispensingmodule includes a non-contact nozzle, each nozzle being configured toapply a filament, bead, coating, or other amount of adhesive(hereinafter referred to as a “quantity”) to the elastic strands 28.More specifically, the first dispensing nozzle 42 shown is a contactnozzle as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 61/474,129 to Saine,filed Apr. 11, 2011, which is assigned to the assignee of the currentinvention and the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference herein. The second dispensing nozzle 44 shown is a non-contactswirl nozzle such as the Universal™ CF nozzle commercially availablefrom Nordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio, which is described in U.S.Pat. No. 4,785,996 to Ziecker et al., the entire disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein.

It will be understood that other types of non-contact nozzles (e.g., theSignature™ and Summitt™ Mini Swirl nozzles commercially available fromNordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio) or other types of contact nozzlessuch as slot coaters may be used in other embodiments within the scopeof this invention. Furthermore, even though the first and seconddispensing nozzles 42, 44 are illustrated as different types of nozzlesin this embodiment, it will be appreciated that the first dispensingnozzle 42 may be the same type of nozzle as the second dispensing nozzle44 in other embodiments of the invention, assuming both dispensingnozzles 42, 44 are non-contact nozzles. Some of these alternatives arepresented in further detail below with reference to FIGS. 4-12.

With continued reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first dispensing module48 receives hot melt adhesive 30 from a first adhesive supply 52 and thesecond dispensing module 50 receives hot melt adhesive 30 from a secondadhesive supply 54. The first and second adhesive supplies 52, 54operate to pump heated liquid adhesive 30 to the first and seconddispensing nozzles 42, 44. In one example, the first adhesive supply 52includes a first individually adjustable pump 52 for supplying anadjustable flow of adhesive 30 to the first dispensing nozzle 42. Thesecond adhesive supply 54 includes a second individually adjustable pump54 separate from the first pump 52 for supplying another adjustable flowof adhesive 30 to the second dispensing nozzle 44. Alternatively, thefirst and second adhesive supplies 52, 54 may be first and second outputstreams of a common dual stream pump. In these embodiments with a dualstream pump, each adhesive supply 52, 54 delivers a predetermined flowof adhesive to each of the first and second dispensing nozzles 42, 44.Therefore, although the first and second adhesive supplies 52, 54 areillustrated as separate elements in FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be understoodthat the first and second adhesive supplies 52, 54 may be generated froma single dual stream pump or separate pumps without departing from thescope of the invention. Additionally, it will be understood that thisand each of the following embodiments of the dispensing apparatus 40 mayalso include a control 55 for selectively actuating (e.g., turning onand off) the first and second adhesive supplies 52, 54.

The operation of the dispensing apparatus 40 is shown schematically inFIGS. 2 and 3. In this regard, the plurality of stretched, uncoatedelastic strands 28 passes the first dispensing nozzle 42 while movingalong the machine direction 46. The first dispensing nozzle 42 operatesto dispense a first quantity 56 of adhesive onto each of the pluralityof elastic strands 28. More specifically, a first quantity 56 isdispensed onto the first portion 32 and the third portion 36 of eachelastic strand 28. As described in further detail in U.S. PatentApplication No. 61/474,129 to Saine, the first quantity 56 is a quantityapplied by contacting the elastic strand 28 with an extruded adhesive 30and then blowing air onto the elastic strand 28 to spread the adhesive30 around the elastic strand 28. As described briefly above, the elasticstrands 28 are cut from a continuous elastic line stock downstream ofthe dispensing apparatus 40, so the first dispensing nozzle 42 cycles onand off to leave gaps with no adhesive 30 at the second portions 34 andat the free ends 38 between applications of adhesive to the firstportions 32 and to the third portions 36.

In a similar manner, the plurality of elastic strands 28 coated with thefirst quantity 56 of adhesive then passes the second dispensing nozzle44 while moving along the machine direction 46. The second dispensingnozzle 44 operates to dispense a second quantity 58 of adhesive onto theplurality of elastic strands 28 at the second portion 34. In thisembodiment, the second quantity 58 is a filament forming a swirl patternextending across all of the elastic strands 28. The second dispensingnozzle 44 is cycled on and off to apply the second quantity 58 onto thesecond portions 34 of the elastic strands 28, leaving the first andthird portions 32, 36 and the free ends 38 substantially uncoated withthe second quantity 58.

As shown schematically in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first quantity 56 ofadhesive forms the first volume of adhesive 30 a on the first portion 32of each elastic strand 28 as well as the third volume of adhesive 30 con the third portion 36 of each elastic strand 28. The second quantity58 of adhesive forms the second volume of adhesive 30 b on the secondportion 34 of each elastic strand 28. In this regard, the dispensingapparatus 40 operates to apply the first volume of adhesive 30 a ontothe first portion 32, apply the second volume of adhesive 30 b onto thesecond portion 34, and apply the third volume of adhesive 30 c onto thethird portion 36. As described above, the first and third volumes ofadhesive 30 a, 30 c are sufficient to provide a high quality bond withdesirable creep resistance at the first and third portions 32, 36 of theelastic strands 28, while the second volume of adhesive 30 b is lessthan the first or third volumes 30 a, 30 c of adhesive to advantageouslyminimize adhesive add on in the disposable personal hygiene product 10.

In one example, the first dispensing nozzle 42 is configured to dispensea coating that defines a volume (i.e., an average volume per unitlength) of 0.2 g/m or 0.2 mg/mm on each elastic strand 28. The seconddispensing nozzle 44 is configured to dispense a coating that defines avolume of 0.1 g/m or 0.1 mg/mm on each elastic strand 28. As a result,the first and third portions 32, 36 are coated with a volume of 0.2mg/mm, while the second portion 34 is coated with a volume of 0.1 mg/mm.In other words, the first and third volumes of adhesive 30 a, 30 c areequivalent to 0.2 mg/mm and the second volume of adhesive 30 b isequivalent to 0.1 mg/mm. Assuming approximate lengths of L1=L3=50 mm forthe first and third portions 32, 36 and L2=300 mm for the second portion34, the total adhesive add on per elastic strand is 50 mg of adhesive:(0.2 mg/mm)*(50 mm)=10 mg for each of the first and third portions 32,36; plus (0.1 mg/mm)*(300 mm)=30 mg for the second portion 34.

By contrast, a conventional constant volume coating having the same bondstrength at the first and third portions 32, 36 would require a volumeof 0.2 mg/mm over the entire 400 mm length of the elastic strand, whichequates to 80 mg of adhesive add on per strand. Thus, the dispensingapparatus 40 of the current invention advantageously reduces theadhesive add on by nearly 40% in this example compared to an analogousconventional coating. It will be understood that the relative values ofthe first, second, and third volumes 30 a, 30 b, 30 c and the relativelengths of the strand portions 32, 34, 36 may be modified in otherexamples within the scope of the invention to produce adhesive savingsof 40%-60% or even more, depending on the application. This level ofadhesive reduction significantly reduces the manufacturing cost for eachdisposable personal hygiene product 10 and increases the hand orsoftness of the product 10 while maintaining the same high quality bondsas in conventional methods and dispensing apparatuses.

The first and second dispensing nozzles 42, 44 are controlled byinternal valves (not shown in this embodiment) in the first and seconddispensing modules 48, 50, as well understood in the art. These valvesare operable to cycle on and off for the required lengths of time todispense the first and second quantities 56, 58 onto enough continuouselastic strand stock to form 400-1500 products (diapers) per minute.Assuming the same portion lengths as described above with a 25 mm gapdefining the free ends 38, the valves would operate as follows forproducing 500 products (diapers) per minute. The valve of the firstdispensing module 48 would open for about 14 milliseconds to applyadhesive 30 to each first portion 32 and each third portion 36,separated by closed times of about 85 milliseconds for each secondportion 34 and about 7 milliseconds for each free end 38 location. Thevalve of the second dispensing module 50 would open for about 85milliseconds to apply adhesive 30 to each second portion 34, separatedby closed times of about 35 milliseconds for the other portions 32, 36,38 of the elastic strands 28. It will be understood that the cyclingrates of the valves may be modified in other embodiments withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

As described in further detail in U.S. Patent Application No. 61/474,129to Saine, the first dispensing nozzle 42 may be connected to the firstdispensing module 48 by a clamping mechanism 60 or a similar device. Thefirst dispensing nozzle 42 defines a strand guide portion 62 for guidingeach of the elastic strands 28 past the corresponding air and adhesiveoutlets (not shown) of the first dispensing nozzle 42. These strandguide portions 62 also align the plurality of strands 28 for passageunder the air and adhesive outlets (not shown) of the second dispensingnozzle 44 because the second dispensing nozzle 44 cannot include astrand guide portion (e.g., such a strand guide portion would stripadhesive from the first dispensing nozzle 42 from the elastic strands28). Further details of each of the first and second dispensing nozzles42, 44 of this embodiment are described in the corresponding documentsincorporated by reference above, and thus no further explanation ofstructure is provided here. It will be understood that in this and otherembodiments described below, the first dispensing nozzle 42 mayselectively include a strand guide portion 62, but the second dispensingnozzle 44 will not include a strand guide portion 62, regardless of thetype of dispensing nozzles used in those embodiments. Examples of thisarrangement are shown in FIGS. 2 and 5.

Although the embodiment of the dispensing apparatus 40 shown in FIGS. 2and 3 is an exemplary embodiment of a dispensing apparatus for applyingvarying volumes of adhesive along the length of elastic strands 28,several modifications to the apparatus are also included within thescope of the current invention. With reference to FIG. 4, anotherembodiment of a dispensing apparatus 140 for applying varying volumes ofadhesive along the length of elastic strands 28 in accordance with theinvention is shown. Similar to the previous embodiment, the dispensingapparatus 140 shown in FIG. 4 includes a first dispensing module 148 anda second dispensing module 150 arranged in series along the machinedirection 46. The first dispensing module 148 of this embodimentincludes a contact nozzle as described in U.S. Patent Application No.61/474,129 to Saine. The second dispensing module 150 of this embodimentincludes a non-contact swirl nozzle such as the Summitt™ Mini Swirlnozzle commercially available from Nordson Corporation of Westlake,Ohio, which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,660 to Boger, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

More particularly, and as described in further detail in U.S. PatentApplication No. 61/474,129 to Saine, the first dispensing module 148applies a first quantity 156 of adhesive, which is a quantity applied bycontacting the elastic strand 28 with an extruded adhesive 30 and thenblowing air onto the elastic strand 28 to spread the adhesive 30 aroundthe elastic strand 28. The second dispensing module 150 applies a secondquantity 158 of adhesive, which is a miniature swirled filament ofadhesive 30, onto each elastic strand 28 individually. Thus, unlike theprevious embodiment, each of the first and second dispensing modules148, 150 in this embodiment apply adhesive 30 individually onto eachelastic strand 28.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first and second dispensing modules 148, 150receive adhesive material from corresponding adhesive supplies 152, 154.Similar to the embodiments described above, the adhesive supplies 152,154 may include separate individually adjustable pumps for eachdispensing module 148, 150 or a shared dual stream pump for bothdispensing modules 148, 150. Similar to the previous embodiment, thefirst dispensing module 148 dispenses the first quantity 156 onto thefirst and third portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28, while thesecond dispensing module 150 dispenses the second quantity 158 onto thesecond portions 34 of the elastic strands 28 only. Thus, as shown by theadhesive patterns shown in FIG. 4, the first and third portions 32, 36are coated with first and third volumes of adhesive 30 a, 30 c that arelarger than a second volume of adhesive 30 b coating the second portions34. As with the previously described embodiment, the dispensingapparatus 140 advantageously applies a higher volume of adhesive 30 tothe end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28 than to the centralportions 34, thereby significantly reducing adhesive use whilemaintaining similar high bond quality.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus 240 for applying varying volumes of adhesive along the lengthof elastic strands 28 in accordance with the invention is shown. Similarto the previous embodiment, the dispensing apparatus 240 shown in FIGS.5 and 6 includes a first dispensing module 248 and a second dispensingmodule 250 arranged in series along the machine direction 46. The firstdispensing module 248 of this embodiment includes a first dispensingnozzle 242 that is a SureWrap® nozzle commercially available fromNordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio, which is described in U.S. Pat.No. 7,578,882 to Harris et al., the entire disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein. The second dispensing module 250 ofthis embodiment includes a second dispensing nozzle such as theUniversal™ CF nozzle commercially available from Nordson Corporation ofWestlake, Ohio.

More particularly, and as described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No.7,578,882 to Harris, the first dispensing nozzle 242 applies a firstquantity 256 of adhesive formed by a filament impacted by a plurality ofair jets to each elastic strand 28. The elastic strands 28 move fasterthan the first quantity 256 of adhesive, which causes the quantity 256to stretch out during application onto the strands 28. As shown in FIGS.5 and 6, this stretching of the first quantity 256 tends to separate orbreak the adhesive 30 into discrete localized increased masses 74 on thestrands 28 that are separated from one another by thinner areas 76 ofadhesive 30 running between adjacent masses 74. It will be understoodthat the thinner areas 76 may also break between adjacent increasedmasses 74, leaving no adhesive 30 between adjacent masses 74. Each ofthese discrete masses 74 of adhesive becomes a discrete bond point whenthe elastic strands 28 are adhered to the substrate 18. The seconddispensing nozzle 244 applies a second quantity 258 of adhesive, whichis a swirled filament of adhesive 30, onto all of the elastic strands 28collectively. Thus, unlike the previous embodiment, the first dispensingnozzle 242 applies adhesive individually onto each elastic strand 28,while the second dispensing nozzle 244 applies adhesive collectivelyonto all of the elastic strands 28.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first and second dispensing modules 248,250 receive adhesive material from corresponding adhesive supplies 252,254. Similar to the embodiments described above, the adhesive supplies252, 254 may include separate individually adjustable pumps for eachdispensing module 248, 250 or a shared dual stream pump for bothdispensing modules 248, 250. Similar to the previous embodiment, thefirst dispensing nozzle 242 dispenses the first quantity 256 onto thefirst and third portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28, while thesecond dispensing nozzle 244 dispenses the second quantity 258 onto thesecond portions 34 of the elastic strands 28 only. Thus, as shown by theadhesive patterns shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first and third portions32, 36 are coated with first and third volumes of adhesive 30 a, 30 cthat are larger than a second volume of adhesive 30 b coating the secondportions 34. As with the previously described embodiment, the dispensingapparatus 240 advantageously applies a higher volume of adhesive 30 tothe end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28 than to the centralportions 34, thereby significantly reducing adhesive use whilemaintaining similar high bond quality.

With reference to FIG. 7, yet another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus 340 for applying varying volumes of adhesive along the lengthof elastic strands 28 in accordance with the invention is shown. Similarto the previous embodiment, the dispensing apparatus 340 shown in FIG. 7includes a first dispensing module 348 and a second dispensing module350 arranged in series along the machine direction 46. The firstdispensing module 348 of this embodiment includes a SureWrap® nozzlecommercially available from Nordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio, whichis described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,578,882 to Harris et al. The seconddispensing module 350 of this embodiment includes a non-contact swirlnozzle such as the Summitt™ Mini Swirl nozzle commercially availablefrom Nordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio, which is described in U.S.Pat. No. 4,815,660 to Boger.

More particularly, and as described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No.7,578,882 to Harris, the first dispensing module 348 applies a firstquantity 356 of adhesive formed by a filament impacted by a plurality ofair jets to each elastic strand 28. The elastic strands 28 move fasterthan the first quantity 356 of adhesive, which causes the first quantity356 to stretch out during application into discrete localized increasedmasses 74 on the strands 28 that are separated from one another bythinner (or broken) areas 76 of adhesive 30 running between adjacentmasses 74. The second dispensing module 350 applies a second quantity358 of adhesive, which is a miniature swirled filament of adhesive 30,onto each elastic strand 28 individually. Thus, unlike the previousembodiment, each of the first and second dispensing modules 348, 350 inthis embodiment apply adhesive 30 individually onto each elastic strand28.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first and second dispensing modules 348, 350receive adhesive material from corresponding adhesive supplies 352, 354.Similar to the embodiments described above, the adhesive supplies 352,354 may include separate individually adjustable pumps for eachdispensing module 348, 350 or a shared dual stream pump for bothdispensing modules 348, 350. Similar to the previous embodiment, thefirst dispensing module 348 dispenses the first quantity 356 onto thefirst and third portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28, while thesecond dispensing module 350 dispenses the second quantity 358 onto thesecond portions 34 of the elastic strands 28 only. Thus, as shown by theadhesive patterns shown in FIG. 7, the first and third portions 32, 36are coated with first and third volumes of adhesive 30 a, 30 c that arelarger than a second volume of adhesive 30 b coating the second portions34. As with the previously described embodiment, the dispensingapparatus 340 advantageously applies a higher volume of adhesive 30 tothe end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28 than to the centralportions 34, thereby significantly reducing adhesive use whilemaintaining similar high bond quality.

With reference to FIG. 8, another embodiment of a dispensing apparatus440 for applying varying volumes of adhesive along the length of elasticstrands 28 in accordance with the invention is shown. Similar to theprevious embodiment, the dispensing apparatus 440 shown in FIG. 8includes a first dispensing module 448 and a second dispensing module450 arranged in series along the machine direction 46. The firstdispensing module 448 of this embodiment includes a non-contact swirlnozzle such as the Universal™ CF nozzle commercially available fromNordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio. The second dispensing module 450of this embodiment also includes a non-contact swirl nozzle such as theUniversal™ CF nozzle commercially available from Nordson Corporation ofWestlake, Ohio.

More particularly, the first dispensing module 448 applies a firstquantity 456 of adhesive which is formed by a filament swirled by airjets onto all of the elastic strands 28 collectively. Similarly, thesecond dispensing module 450 applies a second quantity 458 of adhesivewhich is formed by a filament swirled by air jets onto all of theelastic strands 28 collectively. Thus, unlike the previous embodiment,each of the first and second dispensing modules 448, 450 in thisembodiment apply adhesive 30 collectively onto all of the elasticstrands 28.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first and second dispensing modules 448, 450receive adhesive material from corresponding adhesive supplies 452, 454.Similar to the embodiments described above, the adhesive supplies 452,454 may include separate individually adjustable pumps for eachdispensing module 448, 450 or a shared dual stream pump for bothdispensing modules 448, 450. Similar to the previous embodiment, thefirst dispensing module 448 dispenses the first quantity 456 onto thefirst and third portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28, while thesecond dispensing module 450 dispenses the second quantity 458 onto thesecond portions 34 of the elastic strands 28. Thus, as shown by thethicker and thinner adhesive patterns shown in FIG. 8, the first andthird portions 32, 36 are coated with first and third volumes ofadhesive 30 a, 30 c that are larger than a second volume of adhesive 30b coating the second portions 34. As with the previously describedembodiment, the dispensing apparatus 440 advantageously applies a highervolume of adhesive 30 to the end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands28 than to the central portions 34, thereby significantly reducingadhesive use while maintaining similar high bond quality.

With reference to FIG. 9, yet another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus 540 for applying varying volumes of adhesive along the lengthof elastic strands 28 in accordance with the invention is shown. Similarto the previous embodiment, the dispensing apparatus 540 shown in FIG. 9includes a first dispensing module 548 and a second dispensing module550 arranged in series along the machine direction 46. The firstdispensing module 548 of this embodiment includes a non-contact swirlnozzle such as the Summitt™ Mini Swirl nozzle commercially availablefrom Nordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio. The second dispensing module550 of this embodiment includes a non-contact swirl nozzle such as theUniversal™ CF nozzle commercially available from Nordson Corporation ofWestlake, Ohio.

More particularly, the first dispensing module 548 applies a firstquantity 556 of adhesive, which is a miniature swirled filament ofadhesive 30, onto each elastic strand 28 individually. The seconddispensing module 550 applies a second quantity 558 of adhesive, whichis formed by a filament swirled by air jets onto all of the elasticstrands 28 collectively. Thus, unlike the previous embodiment, the firstdispensing module 548 applies adhesive collectively onto all of theelastic strands 28, while the second dispensing module 550 appliesadhesive individually onto each elastic strand 28.

As shown in FIG. 9, the first and second dispensing modules 548, 550receive adhesive material from corresponding adhesive supplies 552, 554.Similar to the embodiments described above, the adhesive supplies 552,554 may include separate individually adjustable pumps for eachdispensing module 548, 550 or a shared dual stream pump for bothdispensing modules 548, 550. Similar to the previous embodiment, thefirst dispensing module 548 dispenses the first quantity 556 onto thefirst and third portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28, while thesecond dispensing module 550 dispenses the second quantity 558 onto thesecond portions 34 of the elastic strands 28. Thus, as shown by theadhesive patterns shown in FIG. 9, the first and third portions 32, 36are coated with first and third volumes of adhesive 30 a, 30 c that arelarger than a second volume of adhesive 30 b coating the second portions34. As with the previously described embodiment, the dispensingapparatus 540 advantageously applies a higher volume of adhesive 30 tothe end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28 than to the centralportions 34, thereby significantly reducing adhesive use whilemaintaining similar high bond quality.

With reference to FIG. 10, another embodiment of a dispensing apparatus570 for applying varying volumes of adhesive along the length of elasticstrands 28 in accordance with the invention is shown. Similar to theprevious embodiment, the dispensing apparatus 570 shown in FIG. 10includes a first dispensing module 578 and a second dispensing module580 arranged in series along the machine direction 46. The firstdispensing module 578 of this embodiment includes a non-contact swirlnozzle such as the Summitt™ Mini Swirl nozzle commercially availablefrom Nordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio. The second dispensing module580 of this embodiment also includes a non-contact swirl nozzle such asthe Summitt™ Mini Swirl nozzle commercially available from NordsonCorporation of Westlake, Ohio.

More particularly, the first dispensing module 578 applies a firstquantity 586 of adhesive, which is a miniature swirled filament ofadhesive 30, onto each elastic strand 28 individually. The seconddispensing module 580 applies a second quantity 588 of adhesive, whichis a miniature swirled filament of adhesive 30, onto each elastic strand28 individually. Thus, unlike the previous embodiment, each of the firstdispensing module 578 and the second dispensing module 580 appliesadhesive individually onto each elastic strand 28.

As shown in FIG. 10, the first and second dispensing modules 578, 580receive adhesive material from corresponding adhesive supplies 582, 584.Similar to the embodiments described above, the adhesive supplies 582,584 may include separate individually adjustable pumps for eachdispensing module 578, 580 or a shared dual stream pump for bothdispensing modules 578, 580. Similar to the previous embodiment, thefirst dispensing module 578 dispenses the first quantity 586 onto thefirst and third portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28, while thesecond dispensing module 580 dispenses the second quantity 588 onto thesecond portions 34 of the elastic strands 28. Thus, as shown by theadhesive patterns shown in FIG. 10, the first and third portions 32, 36are coated with first and third volumes of adhesive 30 a, 30 c that arelarger than a second volume of adhesive 30 b coating the second portions34. As with the previously described embodiment, the dispensingapparatus 570 advantageously applies a higher volume of adhesive 30 tothe end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28 than to the centralportions 34, thereby significantly reducing adhesive use whilemaintaining similar high bond quality.

FIGS. 11 and 12A show another embodiment of a dispensing apparatus 640according to the invention. In this dispensing apparatus 640, a firstdispensing module 648 and a second dispensing module 650 are arrangedgenerally in parallel along the machine direction 46 defined by themovement of the elastic strands 28. The first and second dispensingmodules 648, 650 include corresponding first and second dispensingnozzles 642, 644 that are non-contact swirl nozzles such as theUniversal™ CF nozzle commercially available from Nordson Corporation ofWestlake, Ohio. Thus, the first and second dispensing nozzles 642, 644apply respective first and second quantities 656, 658 of adhesivesimultaneously onto the first portion 32 and then the third portion 36of the plurality of elastic strands 28. In contrast to previousembodiments, the first dispensing nozzle 642 dispenses the firstquantity 656 onto the first and third portions 32, 36 of the strands 28,while the second dispensing nozzle 644 dispenses the second quantity 658onto the first, second, and third portions 32, 34, 36. Thus, as shownschematically by the overlaid spiral patterns in FIG. 11, the first andthird portions 32, 36 are coated with first and third volumes ofadhesive 30 a, 30 c, respectively, that are larger than a second volumeof adhesive 30 b coating the second portion 34. It will be understoodthat any of the embodiments of the dispensing apparatus shown herein maydispense overlapping quantities of adhesive 30 onto the first and thirdportions 32, 36 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12A, or may dispense acompletely separate first quantity on the first and third portions 32,36 and a second quantity on the second portions 34 as shown in FIGS. 2through 10.

Similar to the previous embodiment, the first dispensing nozzle 642receives adhesive material pumped from a first adhesive supply 652 andthe second dispensing nozzle 644 receives adhesive material pumped froma second adhesive supply 654. As described above, these first and secondadhesive supplies 652, 654 may be separate individually adjustable pumpsor may be the two output streams of a single dual stream pump. It willbe understood that the first and second dispensing nozzles 642, 644 maybe the same type of dispensing nozzle or different types of dispensingnozzles in various embodiments in accordance with the invention.

The simultaneous dispensing of the first and second quantities 656, 658of adhesive is schematically shown from a front view in FIG. 12A. Eachof the first and second dispensing nozzles 642, 644 may includecorresponding first and second adhesive outlets 680, 682 that are angledslightly towards one another. As a result, the first and secondquantities 656, 658 may entangle together slightly as they swirl towardsthe plurality of elastic strands 28. However, it will be appreciatedthat such entanglement of the quantities 656, 658 is only schematicallyshown in FIG. 12A and may be less complex than illustrated. As with thepreviously described embodiment, the dispensing apparatus 640advantageously applies more volume of adhesive to the end portions 32,36 of the elastic strands 28 than to the central portion 34, therebysignificantly reducing adhesive use while maintaining similar high bondquality.

It will be understood that while the first and second dispensing modules648, 650 and the first and second adhesive outlets 680, 682 are shown asdirectly parallel along the machine direction 46 in FIGS. 11 and 12A,another slightly modified embodiment of the dispensing apparatus 740 mayinclude slightly offset elements along the machine direction 46. Asshown in FIG. 12B, this dispensing apparatus 740 again includes firstand second dispensing modules 748, 750 having first and seconddispensing nozzles 742, 744 with first and second adhesive outlets 780,782. The first dispensing module 748 is slightly offset forwards fromthe second dispensing module 750, which reduces or eliminates theentanglement of first and second filaments 756, 758 of adhesive duringflight to the elastic strands 28. In all other respects, the dispensingapparatus 740 of FIG. 12B operates in an identical manner as thedispensing apparatus 640 of FIGS. 11 and 12A, and thus no furtherexplanation is provided here.

Although the previous embodiments of the dispensing apparatus haveincluded two separate dispensing modules and dispensing nozzles, it willbe understood that the same method of applying more adhesive at the endportions 32, 34 of elastic strands 28 may be performed by a singledispensing module connected to an adjustable supply of adhesive 30 ormultiple supplies of adhesive 30. In this regard, FIGS. 13-17 illustratevarious embodiments of a dispensing apparatus 840, 940, 1040 that onlyinclude a single dispensing module and a single dispensing nozzle. Thesesingle module embodiments may include various types of dispensingnozzles, as described in further detail below.

With reference to FIG. 13, another embodiment of a dispensing apparatus840 for applying varying volumes of adhesive along the length of elasticstrands 28 in accordance with the invention is shown. Unlike previousembodiments, the dispensing apparatus 840 shown in FIG. 13 includes onlya single dispensing module 848. The dispensing module 848 of thisembodiment includes a contact dispensing nozzle 842 as described in U.S.Patent Application No. 61/474,129 to Saine. More particularly, and asdescribed in further detail in U.S. Patent Application No. 61/474,129 toSaine, the dispensing nozzle 848 applies a quantity 856, 858 ofadhesive, which is a quantity applied by contacting the elastic strand28 with an extruded adhesive 30 and then blowing air onto the elasticstrand 28 to spread the adhesive 30 around the elastic strand 28. Thus,in this embodiment, the dispensing nozzle 842 applies adhesive 30individually onto each elastic strand 28. The quantity 856, 858 includesa first adhesive portion 856 that is thicker or includes more adhesive30 than a second adhesive portion 858, as described in further detailbelow.

In order to apply these adhesive portions 856, 858 with differentamounts of adhesive 30, the dispensing module 848 receives adhesive fromtwo adhesive supplies 852, 854. Similar to the embodiments describedabove, the adhesive supplies 852, 854 may include separate individuallyadjustable pumps or a shared dual stream pump, depending on theparticular application. The dispensing module 848 includes first andsecond valves 890, 892 configured to control whether a dispensing outlet880 of the dispensing nozzle 842 receives adhesive from one, both, orneither of the adhesive supplies 852, 854. One alternative arrangementof the first and second valves 890, 892 is shown in FIG. 14, and anotherarrangement of the first and second valves 890 a, 892 a is shown in FIG.15. It will be understood that the particular arrangement of the valves890, 892 may be modified in other manners without departing from thescope of the invention.

Turning to the arrangement shown in FIG. 14, the first valve 890 ispositioned in a first angled passage 894 that receives adhesive 30 fromthe first adhesive supply 852. The second valve 892 is positioned in asecond angled passage 896 receiving adhesive 30 from the second adhesivesupply 854. Each of the first and second angled passages 894, 896terminates in close proximity to the dispensing outlet 880, which isadvantageous because this arrangement limits the passage space betweenthe shutoff valves 890, 892 and the dispensing outlet 880. Thus, theamount of adhesive 30 that may drip or leak out of the dispensing nozzle842 after the valves 890, 892 are closed is minimized. Additionally, thefirst and second valves 890, 892 are arranged in parallel within thedispensing module 848 such that each valve 890, 892 independentlycontrols the on/off supply of adhesive 30 from the correspondingadhesive supplies 852, 854. This parallel arrangement of valves 890, 892is similar to that arrangement which is described in U.S. Pat. No.7,152,815 to Harris et al., the entire disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein. To this end, when both of the valves890, 892 are open, a maximum flow of adhesive 30 is extruded through thedispensing outlet 880. When only one of the valves 890, 892 is open withthe other closed, a lesser flow of adhesive 30 is extruded through thedispensing outlet 880. Thus, by controlling the operation of the valves890, 892, the relative thickness of the coating formed by the quantity856, 858 may be modified.

More particularly, the dispensing module 848 opens both valves 890, 892to apply a thicker first adhesive portion 856 at the first and thirdportions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28. The dispensing module 848then closes one of the valves 890, 892 to apply a thinner secondadhesive portion 858 at the second portion 34 of the elastic strands 28.When both valves 890, 892 are closed, substantially no adhesive 30 isextruded onto the elastic strands 28, such as for example at the freeends 38. Thus, as shown by the adhesive patterns shown in FIG. 13, thefirst and third portions 32, 36 are coated with first and third volumesof adhesive 30 a, 30 c that are larger than a second volume of adhesive30 b coating the second portions 34. As with the previously describedembodiment, the dispensing apparatus 840 advantageously applies a highervolume of adhesive 30 to the end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands28 than to the central portions 34, thereby significantly reducingadhesive use while maintaining similar high bond quality.

Turning to FIG. 15, an alternative arrangement of the first and secondvalves 890 a, 892 a is shown. In this embodiment, the first valve 890 aand the second valve 892 a are arranged in series within the dispensingmodule 848. To this end, the first valve 890 a is positioned in a firstpassage 894 a that receives adhesive 30 from the first adhesive supply852. The second valve 892 a is positioned in a second passage 896 areceiving adhesive 30 from the second adhesive supply 854. Contrary tothe previous valve arrangement, the first passage 894 a terminates intothe second passage 896 a just upstream of the second valve 892 a. Thus,the second valve 892 a operates to control on/off flow of both adhesivesupplies 852, 854 into the dispensing outlet 880 simultaneously, whilethe first valve 890 a only controls whether the flow past the secondvalve 892 a originates from one or two adhesive supplies 852, 854.

In operation, opening both valves 890 a, 892 a again causes a maximumflow of adhesive 30 to be extruded through the dispensing outlet 880.When only the second valve 892 a is open with the first valve 890 aclosed, a lesser flow of adhesive 30 is extruded through the dispensingoutlet 880. When the second valve 892 a is closed, substantially noadhesive 30 is extruded through the dispensing outlet 880 from eitheradhesive supply 852, 854. Consequently, the valve arrangement shown inFIG. 15 is operable to produce the same advantageous pattern of adhesiveon the elastic strands 28 as described in regard to FIGS. 13 and 14.

With reference to FIG. 16, another embodiment of a dispensing apparatus940 for applying varying volumes of adhesive along the length of elasticstrands 28 in accordance with the invention is shown. As in the previousembodiment, the dispensing apparatus 940 shown in FIG. 16 includes onlya single dispensing module 948. The dispensing module 948 of thisembodiment includes a SureWrap® nozzle commercially available fromNordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio. More particularly, the dispensingnozzle applies a quantity 956, 958 of adhesive formed by a filamentimpacted by a plurality of air jets to each elastic strand 28. Theelastic strands 28 move faster than the quantity 956, 958 of adhesive,which causes the quantity 956, 958 to stretch out during applicationinto discrete localized increased masses 74 on the strands 28 that areseparated from one another by thinner (or broken) areas 76 of adhesive30 running between adjacent masses 74. Thus, in this embodiment, thedispensing module 948 applies adhesive 30 individually onto each elasticstrand 28. The quantity 956, 958 includes a first adhesive portion 956that includes more adhesive 30 than a second adhesive portion 958, asindicated schematically by closer spaced masses 74 of adhesive 30 in thefirst adhesive portion 956.

In order to apply these adhesive portions 956, 958 with differentamounts of adhesive 30, the dispensing module 948 receives adhesive fromtwo adhesive supplies 952, 954. Similar to the embodiments describedabove, the adhesive supplies 952, 954 may include separate individuallyadjustable pumps or a shared dual stream pump, depending on theparticular application. The dispensing module 948 includes first andsecond valves (not shown) configured to control whether a dispensingoutlet (not shown) of the dispensing nozzle receives adhesive from one,both, or neither of the adhesive supplies 952, 954, as described above.Additionally, the dispensing module 948 also receives pressurizedprocess air from two air supplies 953, 955. The pressurized air fromthese air supplies 953, 955 may be selectively controlled by similarvalves as the adhesive 30, as well understood in the art. Accordingly, ahigher amount of pressurized air may be used when a higher amount ofadhesive 30 is being applied by the dispensing module 948. It will alsobe appreciated that the dispensing module 948 may receive a singleadjustable pressurized air supply in other embodiments consistent withthe scope of the invention. As with the previously describedembodiments, the dispensing apparatus 940 advantageously applies morevolume of adhesive to the end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28than to the central portion 34, thereby significantly reducing adhesiveuse while maintaining similar high bond quality.

With reference to FIG. 17, still another embodiment of a dispensingapparatus 1040 for applying varying volumes of adhesive along the lengthof elastic strands 28 in accordance with the invention is shown. As inthe previous embodiment, the dispensing apparatus 1040 shown in FIG. 17includes only a single dispensing module 1048. The dispensing module1048 of this embodiment includes a Universal™ CF nozzle commerciallyavailable from Nordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio. More particularly,the dispensing nozzle applies a quantity 1056, 1058 of adhesive formedby a swirled filament to all of the elastic strands 28 collectively. Thequantity 1056, 1058 includes a first adhesive portion 1056 that includesmore adhesive 30 than a second adhesive portion 1058, as indicatedschematically by thicker and thinner swirl patterns shown in FIG. 17.

In order to apply these adhesive portions 1056, 1058 with differentamounts of adhesive 30, the dispensing module 1048 receives adhesivefrom two adhesive supplies 1052, 1054. Similar to the embodimentsdescribed above, the adhesive supplies 1052, 1054 may include separateindividually adjustable pumps or a shared dual stream pump, depending onthe particular application. The dispensing module 1048 includes firstand second valves (not shown) configured to control whether a dispensingoutlet (not shown) of the dispensing nozzle receives adhesive from one,both, or neither of the adhesive supplies 1052, 1054, as describedabove. When both valves are open, the dispensing module 1048 applies thethicker first adhesive portion 1056 to the elastic strands 28. When onlyone of the valves is open, the dispensing module 1048 applies thethinner second adhesive portion 1058 to the elastic strands 28. As such,the dispensing apparatus 1040 advantageously applies more volume ofadhesive to the end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28 than tothe central portion 34, thereby significantly reducing adhesive usewhile maintaining similar high bond quality.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description ofspecific embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have beendescribed in considerable detail, it is not intended to restrict or inany way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Thevarious features discussed herein may be used alone or in anycombination. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appearto those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects istherefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatusand methods and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly,departures may be made from such details without departing from thescope or spirit of the general inventive concept.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of dispensing adhesive onto at least onestretched elastic strand to be adhered to a substrate to form a personaldisposable hygiene product, the method comprising: moving the stretchedelastic strand in a machine direction; applying a first volume ofadhesive onto a first portion of the elastic strand; applying a secondvolume of adhesive onto a second portion of the elastic strand locateddownstream from the first portion of the elastic strand relative to themachine direction; and applying a third volume of adhesive onto a thirdportion of the elastic strand located downstream from the second portionof the elastic strand relative to the machine direction, wherein thesecond volume of adhesive is less than the first volume of adhesive, andthe second volume of adhesive is less than the third volume of adhesive,and wherein the first and third portions of the elastic strand defineopposing ends of the elastic strand when adhered to the substrate, andthe second portion of the elastic strand defines a central portion ofthe elastic strand extending between the opposing ends when adhered tothe substrate.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and thirdportions of the elastic strand collectively define a first length andthe second portion of the elastic strand defines a second length largerthan the first length such that the second volume of adhesive is appliedover a majority of the elastic strand.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinapplying the first, second, and third volumes of adhesive to the elasticstrand further comprises: dispensing a first quantity of adhesive ontothe first and third portions of the elastic strand; and dispensing asecond quantity of adhesive onto the second portion of the elasticstrand, wherein the first quantity of adhesive defines the first volumeof adhesive on the first portion of the elastic strand and the thirdvolume of adhesive on the third portion of the elastic strand, and thesecond quantity of adhesive defines the second volume of adhesive on thesecond portion of the elastic strand.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinthe first quantity of adhesive is dispensed by a first dispensingnozzle, the second quantity of adhesive is dispensed by a seconddispensing nozzle, and the method further comprises: pumping adhesive atan adjustable first flow rate to the first dispensing nozzle; andpumping adhesive at an adjustable second flow rate to the seconddispensing nozzle.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first quantityof adhesive is dispensed by a first dispensing nozzle, the secondquantity of adhesive is dispensed by a second dispensing nozzle, and themethod further comprises: pumping adhesive at a predetermined flow rateto each of the first and second dispensing nozzles.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein applying the first, second, and third volumes ofadhesive to the elastic strand further comprises: dispensing a firstquantity of adhesive onto the first and third portions of the elasticstrand; and dispensing a second quantity of adhesive onto the first,second, and third portions of the elastic strand, wherein the secondquantity of adhesive defines the second volume of adhesive on the secondportion of the elastic strand, the first and second quantities ofadhesive collectively define the first volume of adhesive on the firstportion of the elastic strand, and the first and second quantities ofadhesive collectively define the third volume of adhesive on the thirdportion of the elastic strand.
 7. The method of claim 6, whereindispensing the first and second quantities of adhesive furthercomprises: dispensing the first and second quantities of adhesivesimultaneously onto the first portion of the elastic strand, thendispensing the second quantity of adhesive onto the second portion ofthe elastic strand, and then dispensing the first and second quantitiesof adhesive simultaneously onto the third portion of the elastic strand.8. The method of claim 6, wherein dispensing the first and secondquantities of adhesive further comprises: dispensing the first quantityof adhesive onto the elastic strand before or after dispensing thesecond quantity of adhesive onto the elastic strand.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first, second, and third volumes of adhesive aredispensed by a single dispensing nozzle including first and secondvalves controlling flow from corresponding first and second adhesivesupplies, and wherein applying the first, second, and third volumes ofadhesive to the elastic strand further comprises: opening the first andsecond valves to apply the first volume of adhesive to the first portionof the elastic strand; closing the second valve while leaving the firstvalve open to apply the second volume of adhesive to the second portionof the elastic strand; and opening the first and second valves to applythe third volume of adhesive to the third portion of the elastic strand.10. The method of claim 9, wherein applying the first, second, and thirdvolumes of adhesive to the elastic strand further comprises: pumpingadhesive at an adjustable first flow rate to the first valve; andpumping adhesive at an adjustable second flow rate to the second valve.11. A method of dispensing adhesive onto a plurality of stretchedelastic strands to be adhered to a substrate to form a personaldisposable hygiene product, the method comprising: moving each of theplurality of stretched elastic strands in a machine direction; applyinga first volume of adhesive onto a first portion of each of the elasticstrands; applying a second volume of adhesive onto a second portion ofeach of the elastic strands located downstream from the first portion ofthe elastic strands relative to the machine direction; and applying athird volume of adhesive onto a third portion of each of the elasticstrands located downstream from the second portion of the elasticstrands relative to the machine direction, wherein the second volume ofadhesive is less than the first volume of adhesive, and the secondvolume of adhesive is less than the third volume of adhesive, andwherein the first and third portions of the elastic strands defineopposing ends of the elastic strands when adhered to the substrate, andthe second portion of the elastic strands defines a central portion ofthe elastic strands extending between the opposing ends when adhered tothe substrate.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein applying the first,second, and third volumes of adhesive to the plurality of elasticstrands further comprises: dispensing at least one quantity of adhesiveindividually onto each of the plurality of elastic strands.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, wherein applying the first, second, and thirdvolumes of adhesive to the plurality of elastic strands furthercomprises: dispensing at least one quantity of adhesive collectivelyonto all of the plurality of elastic strands.
 14. The method of claim13, wherein applying the first, second, and third volumes of adhesive tothe plurality of elastic strands further comprises: dispensing at leastone quantity of adhesive individually onto each of the plurality ofelastic strands.
 15. A personal disposable hygiene product, comprising:a nonwoven substrate including first and second longitudinal sides; andfirst and second stretched elastic strands adhered to said nonwovensubstrate respectively proximate to said first and second longitudinalsides, each of said stretched elastic strands including a first portiondefining an end of the elastic strand, a second portion defining acentral portion of the elastic strand, and a third portion defininganother end of the elastic strand, wherein said first portions arecoated with a first volume of adhesive, said second portions are coatedwith a second volume of adhesive which is less than the first volume ofadhesive, and said third portions are coated with a third volume ofadhesive which is more than the second volume of adhesive.
 16. Thepersonal disposable hygiene product of claim 15, wherein said first andthird portions of each elastic strand collectively define a first lengthand said second portion of each elastic strand defines a second lengthlarger than the first length such that the second volume of adhesive isapplied over a majority of said elastic strands.
 17. The personaldisposable hygiene product of claim 15, wherein a plurality of firststretched elastic strands are adhered to said nonwoven substrateproximate to said first longitudinal side, and a plurality of secondstretched elastic strands are adhered to said nonwoven substrateproximate to said second longitudinal side.
 18. A dispensing apparatusfor applying adhesive to at least one stretched elastic strand to beadhered to a substrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product,each elastic strand including first, second, and third portions along alength of the elastic strand, the dispensing apparatus comprising: afirst dispensing nozzle for dispensing a first volume of adhesive ontothe stretched elastic strand at the first portion and for dispensing athird volume of adhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at the thirdportion; and a second dispensing nozzle for dispensing a second volumeof adhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at the second portion,wherein the second volume of adhesive is less than the first volume ofadhesive, and the second volume of adhesive is less than the thirdvolume of adhesive, and wherein the first and third portions of theelastic strand define opposing ends of the elastic strand when adheredto the substrate, and the second portion of the elastic strand defines acentral portion of the elastic strand extending between the opposingends when adhered to the substrate.
 19. The dispensing apparatus ofclaim 18, wherein said first dispensing nozzle and said seconddispensing nozzle include the same type of dispensing nozzle.
 20. Thedispensing apparatus of claim 18, wherein said first dispensing nozzleand said second dispensing nozzle include different types of dispensingnozzles.
 21. The dispensing apparatus of claim 18, further comprising: afirst adhesive supply for pumping adhesive to said first dispensingnozzle; a second adhesive supply for pumping adhesive to said seconddispensing nozzle; and a control operable to selectively actuate saidfirst and second adhesive supplies.
 22. The dispensing apparatus ofclaim 18, wherein the first dispensing nozzle includes a strand guidefor guiding the stretched elastic strand, and wherein the seconddispensing nozzle does not include a strand guide.
 23. A dispensingapparatus for applying adhesive to at least one stretched elastic strandto be adhered to a substrate to form a personal disposable hygieneproduct, each elastic strand including first, second, and third portionsalong a length of the elastic strand, the dispensing apparatuscomprising: a first dispensing nozzle for dispensing a first quantity ofadhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at the first and thirdportions; and a second dispensing nozzle for dispensing a secondquantity of adhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at the first,second, and third portions, wherein the first and second quantities ofadhesive collectively define a first volume of adhesive on the firstportion of the elastic strand, the second quantity of adhesive defines asecond volume of adhesive on the second portion of the elastic strandthat is less than the first volume of adhesive, and the first and secondquantities of adhesive collectively define a third volume of adhesive onthe third portion of the elastic strand that is more than the secondvolume of adhesive, and wherein the first and third portions of theelastic strand define opposing ends of the elastic strand when adheredto the substrate, and the second portion of the elastic strand defines acentral portion of the elastic strand extending between the opposingends when adhered to the substrate.
 24. The dispensing apparatus ofclaim 23, wherein the first dispensing nozzle includes a strand guidefor guiding the stretched elastic strand, and wherein the seconddispensing nozzle does not include a strand guide.
 25. A dispensingapparatus for applying adhesive to at least one stretched elastic strandto be adhered to a substrate to form a personal disposable hygieneproduct, each elastic strand including first, second, and third portionsalong a length of the elastic strand, the dispensing apparatuscomprising: a single dispensing nozzle for dispensing adhesive onto thestretched elastic strand at each of the first, second, and thirdportions; a first valve adapted to control flow from a first adhesivesupply through said dispensing nozzle; and a second valve adapted tocontrol flow from a second adhesive supply through said dispensingnozzle, wherein the first and third portions of the elastic stranddefine opposing ends of the elastic strand when adhered to thesubstrate, and the second portion of the elastic strand defines acentral portion of the elastic strand extending between the opposingends when adhered to the substrate, and wherein said first and secondvalves are opened to apply a first volume of adhesive on the firstportion and a third volume of adhesive on the third portion, and thefirst valve is opened when the second valve is closed to apply a secondvolume of adhesive on the second portion that is less than the firstvolume of adhesive and less than the third volume of adhesive.